'I called my mom and cried': Passengers describe chaos at JFK during nationwide ground stop
The FAA shut down all air traffic due to what it called "extraordinary circumstances" on Friday.
On Friday evening, thousands of passengers found themselves stranded at JFK International Airport due to a nationwide ground stop called by the FAA. The delay was attributed to a telecommunications issue, though the exact cause remained unknown. New York-based Riley Alexis Holmes, who had a 6 p.m. flight to Oregon, described the situation as chaotic and emotionally taxing.
She called her mother in tears, expressing her anxiety over the lack of information. Fellow passenger Juliana Melo, from Sao Paolo, Brazil, was also stranded, anxiously waiting for news of her return to her young daughter in Brazil. Lennard Meijer, a 49-year-old Dutch businessman, faced multiple delays and cancellations during his business trip from Amsterdam.
After waiting in line for over an hour, he finally retrieved his checked bag and was rebooked for a later flight. Kieran Cullen, a 27-year-old from Jacksonville, Florida, had been traveling for over 24 hours when his layover at JFK turned into a nightmare of repeated delays and eventual cancellation. He and his companions planned to stay in New Jersey for the night before attempting to find a flight home on Sunday.
Delta Airlines advised passengers to reschedule their flights within 24 hours to receive a full refund, while those who opted not to reschedule would not receive any money back. Stranded passengers remained hopeful for updates and a return to normalcy, despite the prolonged uncertainty.
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